To me the balanced view is, just as I did last weekend, have some iodine and powdered milk on hand, just in case; watch the unfolding events carefully; use your own judgment; and don't let any government tell you what is and isn't safe.

No level of ionizing radiation is safe. It's all a question of degree of risk, just like crossing the street (or the freeway).

A parallel story -- I recall in early October, 2001 attending a briefing by an obviously sincere and well-informed anthrax “expert” from CDC who insisted that anthrax contamination posed no serious threat to postal employees. He said the National Enquirer employee who died from anthrax in Florida had inhaled spores because he had poor eyesight; to read the contaminated letter the poor guy lifted the letter right up to his face, close enough that a massive spore dose was sucked in as he breathed. That act, combined with the guy’s advance age, led to his demise.

The CDC expert was proven wrong by four additional anthrax deaths, including 2 postal employees who did nothing more than work near a machine that sorted contaminated letters, and 25 or so confirmed nonfatal cases -- massive Cipro distribution probably staved off many more.

So I guess you all will be safe so long as you don’t peer over the edge of reactor containment vessels? Of course not. Reality is the experts have no more idea than you or I what’s going to happen in these never before encountered situations – no idea at all. A person should keep one’s mind inquiring and wide open. It’s best to error on the side of safe.

None of the medical professionals in the articles you linked advised people on the west coast to run out and buy iodine.

If you watch the entire interview with the Surgeon General, she was talking about opening emergency response centers for most of the interview. The reporter asked her whether stocking up on iodine was an extreme measure or a precaution. She responded "It's a precaution. You mean stocking up here? I haven't heard that, but it's a precaution."

It was hardly an endorsement of running out and stocking up on iodine, she seemed surprised that people on the west coast were buying iodine in response to the situation in Japan. It's pretty obvious why the reporter only quoted the word "precaution" in the body of the story and filled in the rest of the context himself.

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 155
At this date last year: 241
Total run in 2015: 271
In 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269